


the metamorphosis

by pendragonpants



Category: Endeavour (TV)
Genre: Beauty and the Beast Elements, Crack Treated Seriously, Human Disaster Endeavour Morse, M/M, Talking Animals, this is all morse's fault
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:02:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25082062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pendragonpants/pseuds/pendragonpants
Summary: Morse makes some terrible decisions which cause the officers of Cowley to be turned into animals. Only one person can save them and it's none other than Peter Jakes. Too bad he can't understand the animals and all he wants to do is get a break.
Relationships: George Fancy/Shirley Trewlove, Peter Jakes/Endeavour Morse
Comments: 22
Kudos: 23





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i was so excited to write this fic so i hope all of you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it. thank you to the WIP wrangling club for allowing my creative juices to flow and get my brain working. 
> 
> thank you to [@astridcontramundum](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AstridContraMundum) for your suggestion on the title name!

It was a normal day at the station, slow-moving and relaxed. The past few weeks had been quiet with very few cases for them to solve. The calls they received were typically about petty thefts and minor crimes. 

Morse was awfully bored, he had nothing better to do. He could tell everyone else was feeling the same way too. Thursday was busy conversing with Bright and Strange was busy doing who knows what.

He looked around the station, hoping to hear a snide comment from the snarky brunette but then he remembered that Jakes had left for America. He’d probably never see him again.

It had been a month since he had left and Morse still hadn’t adapted to the change. He kept thinking Jakes would be somewhere, annoying someone or teasing him but he wasn’t. He sighed, suddenly missing his jokes and comments.

The past few weeks, Morse had made some very bad decisions. He had found himself pining for someone to love and had slept around with many women. He could not even remember some of their names. It was always a one-night stand and nothing more, or so he thought.

They always were upset at him, telling him that he had led them on to believe he wanted a relationship and Morse always shut them down. It was just a mistake, he would say. Just a mistake.

It wasn’t like him to do this to people but he just felt that he wanted others to experience the same pain that he was going through. He knew it was cruel but some part of him found it a little bit satisfying.

He was lost in his thoughts when the sound of a door slamming open broke him from his reverie.

“Endeavour Morse? Where the hell are you?”

Bloody hell, it was that bird he had slept with last night. Violetta, was that her name? He stood up and walked towards her, shaking his head. She glared at him and began yelling.

“How dare you leave without telling me? The whole night you led me to believe you wanted something more! You’re a bastard.”

“It was just a one-time thing. I didn’t lead you on or anything of the sort.”

Everyone in the station was silent, listening in on their conversation. Morse looked around sheepishly, trying to give people the impression he didn’t know what she was talking about.

Violetta growled, she pushed him backwards and pointed her manicured fingernail at him. He noticed it was painted blood red, which was surprising as it had been a midnight blue the previous night.

“You know Morse, you ought to be more careful with who you cross in your lifetime. You never know how powerful some of them might be.”

Morse scoffed, rolling his eyes. He was tired of hearing her speak and he wanted her to leave already, she was a lovely woman but he told himself he definitely did not lead her on. 

What could she be capable of anyways? If she attacked him, she would be charged with assault. There was nothing she could do.

Within seconds of thinking that, he realised he was very wrong. Violetta muttered some strange words and Morse began to feel quite funny. He felt his skin prick and tingle and his vision began to blur. What the hell was she doing?

He fell to the ground, head swimming and he heard her speak softly to him. “Your only hope is someone who could truly love you. Goodbye, Morse.” He could hear the click of her heels as she left the room. What did she mean by that?

Morse’s head was spinning and he eventually gave in to his dizziness and succumbed to the darkness.

*

When he came to, everything looked very strange. The furniture seemed to be larger than him and the colours of everything looked different. The red bag that was on the table had turned a shade of yellow-green. 

He tried to stand but his legs felt shorter than it did before. He looked down at them and was horrified to see short furry legs instead. He glanced at his hands and they were tiny paws? Morse was utterly and completely confused.

He attempted to climb the table to get a better view of his surroundings and found himself able to do so efficiently. He stared at his reflection in the glass and was horrified to see that he was a squirrel. A small, furry red squirrel.

He tried to call out for help but all he could hear was high-pitched squeaks and barks. What had Violetta done? Oh, why did he have to treat her so poorly? He peered around the station, searching for his fellow officers. They seemed to be gone as well. 

He had to repress a scream when a large rat popped up in front of him. “Morse? What did you do?”, it asked him. Morse felt like he was going to faint again, was this a dream? 

“What is going on? Why are you speaking? Why am I a squirrel? Who are you?”

He had so many questions and no one to answer them. The rat gave a resigned sigh and he said, “Matey, it’s Jim Strange. I’m the rat. I don’t know what’s going on but that woman has something to do with it.”

Morse nodded, he could understand what Strange was saying and Strange appeared to understand what he was saying. That was good, at least he wasn’t alone and unable to comprehend anything.

Animals began to appear all around the station. A guinea pig, a fox, a hedgehog and Bright’s office door opened to reveal a very angry badger. 

The badger began yelling at him. It was definitely Thursday’s voice. Morse gaped at him and so did the other animals.

“Endeavour Morse, you better have a good explanation for all of us!”

The other animals were staring at him, waiting for him to address them. Morse felt self-conscious and unsure of what to say. Fortunately, he had a general idea about what had happened, even if it sounded ridiculous to himself.

“I think we’ve been cursed by uh, someone I slept with. I have no idea how to undo it. I’m terribly sorry!”

The guinea pig got up and began to laugh, “I’m a rodent! Aha, this is so fun!” It began to prance around, looking all excited and pleased with itself.

The fox smacked him playfully and chastised him. “George, it’s not the time to be doing this!”

Ah, so the guinea pig was Fancy and the fox was Trewlove. The hedgehog would be Dr DeBryn then. 

Morse raised his voice so it would carry over the chatter and he was glad that everyone paid attention to him.

“We need someplace to stay, we can’t remain here. We need to formulate a plan.”

“I agree with Morse. Anyone has any ideas?” The hedgehog spoke up.

Everyone seemed to ignore the fact that this was Morse’s fault and that made him relieved. They had bigger issues to handle anyways.

Everyone started to present their ideas and most of them were serious about it except George. He was enjoying himself far too much and Morse was tempted to shout at him but he knew he wasn’t going to be intimidating him much in his squirrel form.

Well, at least he wasn’t some kind of filthy rodent, no offence to Strange. Red squirrels were rather refined creatures, or so he thought. 

George spoke up once more and what he said made Morse freeze.

“Morse! You’re technically my cousin since we’re from the rodent family! Isn’t that awesome?”

Morse groaned, looks like he was wrong once again. They went back to brainstorming and everyone froze and fell silent when the station doors opened and a familiar voice echoed in the silence.

“Hello? Anyone in today?”

It was none other than Peter Jakes.

*

The last month had been really tough for Jakes. He thought he was making the right decision by leaving everything he cared about in Oxford and moving to America with Hope.

Everything went downhill from there.

Jakes had spent his savings buying a nice place for the two of them, investing in whatever Hope asked him to, trying to make her happy.

Then he realised she wasn’t pregnant. There was no baby. He didn’t understand at first and was shocked that Hope had lied to him. She had sobbed and told him she only wanted a life with him and deceived him so that he would stay with her. That made him feel pity and he did love her so he decided to stay. That was his next mistake.

Hope began to spend long hours away from the farm, gallivanting with her friends or going out late at night for drinks with them. Jakes didn’t mind if she was happy, he was happy.

He had tended to the farm while she was gone and he had struggled. He was not used to the scorching sun and the rough wheat, his skin was red and chafed at the end of every day. He had spent many hours reminiscing about Oxford and a particular red-headed man.

He thought of Morse every single day. He missed him terribly even though he wouldn’t admit it if someone asked him. He kept thinking about what would happen if he just packed his things and went back but he couldn’t do that to Hope. He did not want to break her heart and abandon her here. It would be too heartless of him if he did that.

One day, he had gone out of town for a business interview and came home earlier than expected only to receive a horrible shock.

He had found Hope sleeping with another man. That was the last straw, he was getting out of there regardless of her begging him to stay. Her sobs and tears then turned into shouts and vulgarities slung at him. He didn’t want to stay, he had to leave immediately.

She had slapped him when he told her he was going to leave. She was furious with him.

“I’ll be better off without you anyways! You weren’t even a half-decent husband, not to mention you were horrible in bed.”

Her stinging words didn’t matter to him, he would never see her again, or so he hoped. Why did he decide to move here with her anyway? He took the first plane back and felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders when he reached Oxford.

He then realised he had a few issues to resolve. He didn’t have a place to stay and he had insufficient cash with him at the moment. He wouldn’t have enough money to stay in a hotel so he would have to find someone he could crash with for some time. The first place that came to mind was Cowley and he decided he would visit them and see if anyone could offer him a place to stay. And to see if he could get his old job back.

He was walking towards the station when he saw a dark-haired woman walk past him hastily. She seemed to be in a hurry and her eyes were slightly red, almost as if she had been crying. Poor thing, he thought, perhaps she had broken up with someone.

When he finally reached the station, he stood outside the doors for a while. Hand reaching out to push the door open but lingering in the air. Would they appreciate him coming back? Did anyone miss him? He was worried about how they might react to him arriving unexpectedly but what could he do? He didn’t know many people in Oxford and his only hope was Morse. He didn’t think anyone else would allow him to stay with them. He wasn’t that comfortable with the other officers.

When he finally pushed the doors open, a shiver ran down his back as everything was extremely silent. It didn’t seem like anyone was in the station and that was strange.

“Hello? Anyone in today?” He called out, hoping to hear a response but he didn’t. He was starting to get a little worried now. He stepped into the main office and was shocked to see a bunch of animals.

Jakes was stumped, he stared at all the animals that were in the office with his mouth wide open. What the hell? Why were they in the office? Where was everyone?

He looked around cautiously and was taken aback when there seemed to be some kind of red squirrel chittering and gesturing frantically at him, waving it’s bushy tail around.

He shuddered, was it trying to get his attention? No, squirrels weren’t that intelligent. And whyever would it be trying to get his attention? He decided he would chase the animals out of here and bring back some order to the station. He wasn’t going to let the station be overrun by some wild animals, and that squirrel was starting to get on his nerves. He was not going to admit it, but he was slightly afraid of squirrels. 

He proceeded to pick the squirrel up by its tail and despite its barks and struggles, he attempted to throw it out the window onto the trees that spanned the outside.

It clung to his finger, however, tiny claws catching the skin in its frenzy to stay. Jakes cried out and dropped it, clutching his finger. It didn’t help that his hands were still dry and hurting from all the farm work. There was a minuscule amount of blood but Jakes wasn’t sure if the squirrel’s claws were hygienic. He didn’t want to contract some strange disease.

He manoeuvred around the animals that were staring at him and he headed to Bright’s office. If they didn’t change anything since he left, there should be a first aid kit in there.

When he did open the door, he practically screamed. There was a massive tiger in the office, growling at him.

“Oh my god.” was all he could say. He began to move backwards, the tiger slowly stalking towards him. Suddenly, the red squirrel ran in front of him and began to chatter, it appeared to be talking to the tiger. 

The tiger froze and growled at the squirrel, then looked up at Jakes again. The squirrel turned around and placed its paws on its hips, looking up at him smugly.

Jakes gaped at it, it was too much to handle and he passed out, crumpling to the floor.

*

Morse was ecstatic to see Jakes. It was great to see him again. He waved his paws at him, expressing his happiness. “Jakes! I’m so glad you’re here! Oh, we’ve missed you terribly.” he cried out but Jakes didn’t seem to understand him. Instead, he picked him up by his tail and attempted to throw him out the window.

Morse panicked and clutched Jakes’ finger, he didn’t want to be thrown out! Jakes then dropped him to the floor which elicited a cry of pain from him. He felt bad for hurting Jakes but it was better than being thrown out onto the streets!

Jakes went to Bright’s officer, presumably to look for a bandage but when Morse heard a scream, he hurried over. Ah, so Bright was a tiger.

“What are you doing here?” Bright said, but Jakes clearly didn’t understand. Judging by the look of terror on his face, he thought the tiger was going to attack him.

“Sir! He doesn’t understand us! He thinks you’re going to attack him.”

“Morse! This is your doing, isn’t it? I’ll speak to you later.”

Morse looked up at Jakes smugly. He had saved him once more. But Jakes paled and he had fallen to the ground, out cold.

“Morse? Why is Jakes here?” Thursday asked.

“I’m not entirely sure but when he regains consciousness, someone should get him some water.”

“Yes, and try not to scare him again. He’s probably had the shock of his life.” DeBryn piped in. 

The animals all headed off, trying to figure out a way to get Jakes some water. Clearly, Morse did not think about how they would do that. Bright sighed and he moved out of his office, assisting the smaller animals.

Funny how they were turned into forest creatures except for Bright, Morse thought.

He looked at Jakes’ unconscious form, hopped to it and stared at him. He had a warm feeling in his chest and he was so pleased to see Jakes. He placed a small paw on Jakes’ face, caressing it gently. He’d be alright.

Morse started thinking about how he would communicate with Jakes. Maybe he could write it out? His paws were too small to hold a pen and have legible handwriting. He’d find some items to represent them and hopefully, Jakes was good at charades.

He pushed a strand of brown hair that had fallen out of place when Jakes had collapsed and he chuckled, thinking about how much hair product he had used before. His hair didn’t appear to have anything at the moment, and it was silky and smooth. Morse could probably sleep in it.

Jakes looked tired and his eye bags were standing out. Morse wondered what could have brought him back to Oxford. He’d try to ask when Jakes would wake up.

As for now, they just had to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wahoo! first chapter done!! hopefully, i'll update this every two weeks (don't hold me to this) and get on with my other fics as well!


	2. Chapter 2

When Jakes woke up, his vision was bleary and he felt oddly sick. He wasn’t sure what had happened prior to him fainting but it certainly was not good. He sat up, leaning against the wall, trying to catch his breath. When his vision cleared and everything came into focus, he practically screamed again.

There were a whole bunch of animals staring at him. A tiger included. His eyes widened in fear and he put his hands up, breathing heavily. He stood up and slowly took tentative steps backwards and he felt an urge to speak to them for some reason.

“Please don’t attack me.” He pleaded. He didn’t know if they could understand him but to his surprise, the squirrel stepped forward and began chattering. 

Jakes stared, transfixed on it. He was slightly horrified at the fact that the squirrel was attempting to talk to him. Was he going insane? Had he been in a plane crash and was he just dreaming that he was in Oxford? That had to be the case, it was impossible for animals to be able to talk, right?

“What is going on? Why are you talking to me? Oh my god, I’m going insane.” He placed his hands on his head, massaging his temples.

The squirrel looked at him with a vaguely annoyed expression on its face and it scurried over to what looked like Morse’s desk, even after all these years he could still recognise Morse’s messy handwriting and the stack of crumpled papers, Morse was never a neat man, and it pointed to a badge. 

Jakes walked over to it and saw that it was Morse’s badge. He had a brief moment of panic as he was worried something had happened to Morse and the other officers. Had they been kidnapped or something? His fears were only alleviated slightly when the squirrel pointed to itself and back to the badge.

The squirrel was Morse. And that meant the other animals were the other officers! Jakes was unsure how he felt about that, it did not seem like a better alternative to being kidnapped.

The squirrel beckoned everyone over and began pointing to respective desks and animals and Jakes was surprised that he understood what the squirrel was doing. He felt a need to voice out his thoughts, even if it did seem a little strange talking to a bunch of woodlands creatures, excluding the tiger. He didn't know why everyone was some kind of forest animal and then there was a massive tiger. Jakes was practically quivering every time the tiger moved closer to him.

“What happened to all of you? I really don’t understand what’s going on.”

The badger stood up on its hind legs and pointed angrily at Morse and the guinea pig and fox appeared to be expressing devotion to one another. “So, Morse had been with someone?” He guessed. The rat nodded and then portrayed someone who appeared to be wiggling their fingers and then everyone collapsed.

“A spell? Were you drugged?” Jakes was incredibly impressed with his ability to guess what they were showing him. He still felt very uncomfortable around the animals but he did feel some consolation knowing that he was with people he had spent time with.

“Okay, well, you all know you can’t stay here right? And I don’t think it would be easy or a good idea to go back to your respective homes. You’d probably freak everyone out. I don’t have a place to stay either so would you be okay with sleeping in the wild? I mean, you are animals.”

He had meant that as a joke but the squirrel looked very offended and it shook its head. It grabbed a pen and began scrawling on a notepad and although it was terribly written and nearly illegible, Jakes could make out some words such as ‘stay’, ‘my’ and ‘place’. Stay at my place. Right, he knew where Morse lived but how was he supposed to get there? And the bigger question was how was he supposed to smuggle all these animals back to the flat without getting questioned by someone or receiving strange looks.

He could take the Jaguar! It wasn't like Morse was using it anyways. That was an easy way to transport them around. He’d always wanted to drive the Jag around, he had been so jealous when Morse became Thursday’s bagman. Not only did Morse steal Thursday from him, but he also had the luxury of driving the Jag around. He had been brown-nosing and sucking up to Thursday for a bit and he was disappointed that it had all gone to pot. Jakes had to take the train or walk home and he didn’t fancy that at all. It was always too crowded, people pressed against him, making him feel incredibly uncomfortable. Now he had the opportunity to use it and he wasn’t going to miss it.

“Er, some of you can go into my suitcase. Strange, Fancy and Doctor DeBryn perhaps? Trewlove and Thursday, you can get into the passenger seat and well, sir,” He paused, unsure of how to address Bright. “I think I can get you into the back seat.”

The animals seemed to approve of the idea and Jakes was pleased with himself. Thank heavens they were being cooperative, Jakes didn’t know what he would do if they acted on impulse.

He then noticed the squirrel still staring at him. Damn, he had forgotten Morse! He knew Morse would not appreciate being thrown into his suitcase but Morse absolutely did not deserve special treatment. It was his fault they were in this mess but Jakes didn’t want to cross him. His finger still smarted from where Morse had scratched him and he wanted to avoid receiving more injuries.

“What do you want Morse?” He sighed, taking a seat and looking expectantly at him. 

Morse didn’t respond and instead just climbed onto his shoulder. Jakes shuddered, the ticklish sensation unappealing to him. He felt it was no use arguing with Morse, the bloody man was a steadfast squirrel, so he let him stay there.

He headed to the back and sat in the front seat, running his hand over the wheel. It sure felt good being in charge of the car again. He ushered Bright into the backseat with some difficulty and chucked his suitcase onto the floor of the car and in response, received some angry growls and hisses.  
Right, he had forgotten they were inside. 

“Sorry.” 

He hastily climbed into the front seat and started the car, taking a deep breath before driving to Morse’s flat. It had gotten dark by then but he didn’t want to take the risk of letting someone see them so he shoved them out of the car and into the house.

He exhaled, running a hand through his hair and plopped himself onto an armchair, catching his breath. He hadn’t realised how tired he was until then.

He closed his eyes and leaned on his arm, hoping to get a few moments of respite but was rudely awoken by some chattering in his ear. Damn Morse!

“What do you want now?” He snapped. 

If squirrels could huff, he swore Morse did right then and there. He waggled his paw in front of Jakes’ face and pointed to the kitchen. Good heavens, Morse was so demanding.

He dragged his feet to the kitchen, picking up some fruit and tossing it towards Morse.

“I don’t care what you want. Take it or leave it. The rest of you, please behave. I’m going to sleep, I’m absolutely knackered.” He felt that it would be slightly intruding to sleep on Morse’s bed so he collapsed onto the sofa, shutting his eyes tight.

He was just about to drift off to sleep when he felt a small section of the sofa dip. He opened his eyes and noticed the furry figure leaning against his torso and he sighed. Once again, it wouldn’t do any good trying to chase them away. He shifted again and fell asleep.

*

Morse was not thrilled by Jakes’ reaction. 

He had already offered accommodations to Jakes and he had thrown a fruit at him? Yes, he was hungry and he could have taken it for himself but it was so much easier to ask Jakes to do it for him. He didn’t understand why Jakes was so tetchy.

Jakes did look utterly exhausted however and Morse felt a sense of despair when Jakes lay on the sofa. He pitied the man and he was also upset that he was unable to ask him about what brought him back to Oxford. 

He wanted to express some comfort and console Jakes but wasn’t sure how so he climbed onto the sofa and leaned against him, trying to demonstrate that he was there for him. Jakes looked annoyed however and Morse realised just how much he hated being misunderstood. Being unable to share his thoughts with Jakes was the worst part of this curse. 

“Morse, what are we going to do?” Strange piped in. 

Morse groaned, “I don’t know. How is the station going to function? Jakes can’t run the entire place on his own.”

“We don’t have a choice! We can’t be seen gallivanting around the city can we?” Thursday grumbled. 

“No, we can’t but we can help Jakes solve cases and whatnot. We still have brains, mind you.” Morse replied haughtily.

“Eh, so be it. But if it all goes wrong, we know who to blame.” Thursday muttered.

A shriek of excitement escaped Fancy and everyone turned to look at him.

“Look at these blueberries in Morse’s kitchen! Wow, Morse, I don’t even know where you find such great blueberries. The ones I buy are always so sour.”

Morse glared at him the best he could and the rest of the animals either ignored him or looked vaguely amused.

Out of all people, why did Fancy have to be in on that day? It would have been so much easier putting up without him. He didn’t have a choice so he had to try his best and cope with him.

As for now, he would get some rest. He curled up against Jakes and shut his eyes, listening to Jakes’ soft breathing. It gave him a sense of calm and safety and he breathed in Jakes’ scent, reminiscing the times they had together before he left for America. He could only hope Jakes would not leave again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm back with another chapter! gosh, i retyped it about 3 times so i hope you enjoy it. let me know what you thought of it!
> 
> and er, i haven't typed anything for the next chapter of yours truly if anyone wants to know...my brain had melted.
> 
> next update: ~~9 August~~ not sure as of now, sorry guys! i'll try to get it up asap
> 
> thanks for reading x


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back after months of not updating this fic...oops! I promise it will be completed by the end of the year<3
> 
> Enjoy!

Jakes did not have a very good sleep. He woke up with a sore back, a horrible crick in the neck and a pleasant reminder that he was in a room full of animals. No matter how many times he saw them, he still felt his stomach drop and a sense of uneasiness around them. The truth was that he was very afraid they wouldn’t be able to turn back into people and that he’d be alone for the rest of life.

He carefully picked up the furball that was Morse and placed him on the arm of the sofa, stroking his tiny head gently and a smile crept across his face. Yes, Morse was indeed adorable when he was asleep.

Jakes went into the kitchen and got the kettle on so that he could make a cup of tea and whilst doing so, his thoughts wandered off to how he could confess to Morse. It’d be extremely silly to say that he loved him while the other man was a squirrel, but Jakes was stressed. Did Morse have a girl? He knew that one of them had ‘cursed’ the officers but Jakes figured she did so because Morse was sleeping around. He silently prayed that that wasn’t the case because if it was, he would be helpless. He would secretly keep his fingers crossed and wish that they were all casual flings.

He poured himself the cup of tea and watched as the amber rays of sunlight shone through the windows and were accompanied by contorted shadows. A grunt from the living room shook him out of his reverie and he realised he ought to get back to them.

Sure enough, half the animals were stirring and Jakes stifled his laughter when Morse was the last one to wake up. Typical Morse.

He sat himself down and spoke, more to himself than to them in all honesty, “So I have to go to the station right now, do whatever you are supposed to do and get back here as soon as I can.” That didn’t sound like a solid plan but Jakes didn’t have a better plan.

He knew he couldn’t bring all of the animals to do the station, especially not Bright. Transporting a tiger around was going to be tedious and would be tough to do so inconspicuously. 

“Who’s alright with staying in the apartment? I’m sure you know I can’t bring everyone.”

Fancy and Trewlove volunteered to stay with Bright and Dr DeBryn had no complaints either. He was sure they could get a substitute for him and he could pretend he was overseas working on a case. However, it was not as easy for the rest of the station to make excuses. 

Jakes grabbed his items and lit a cigarette, taking a few drags before hopping into the Jag with Thursday, Strange and Morse. There was so much tension in the car and Jakes felt the need to speak. 

“So, does anyone have any ideas? I mean, we just need to do the usual right? Solve some minor thefts and stop some bar brawls? I heard that crime rates have gone down. From someone, just a stranger I met at the cafe.” He spoke in a rigid tone, pausing awkwardly and obviously, there was no response from them. Jakes cursed under his breath and took another drag of the cigarette, nicotine calming his nerves.

“Right. I’ll just be quiet.”

Morse scurried over to sit on his thigh and Jakes didn’t feel the need to complain. It was oddly comforting and genuinely sweet once he stopped overthinking. His hand subconsciously drifted to stroke Morse’s tiny head and he swore he heard Strange squeak at him angrily. 

“Are you jealous, Strange?” He joked, finding his usual snark and had a good laugh when Strange turned away from him and ran to the back seat to join Thursday. The intimidating badger didn’t do much but stare straight ahead, occasionally looking at him but otherwise minded his own business. He hoped Thursday wasn’t upset with him or anything.

They reached the station at last and Jakes opened the car door and held the back door of the station open for the animals. He gestured with his hands for them to get a move on but to his horror, they stayed in the car!

“Come here right now!” He raised his voice slightly, trying not to attract any attention. They didn’t move an inch. He couldn’t go and pick them up because the door would have gotten stuck (a result of poor maintenance) and it’d be impossible to pry it open. 

“Get here!” He hissed, sucking in annoyed breaths from in between his teeth. He said it one more time but was mortified when an elderly lady shuffled past him and frowned at him. Fucking hell, he probably looked insane to her!

Finally, they got out and Jakes didn’t wait until they were fully in the station, letting go of the door and hearing a muffled ‘thud’ and a squeak meant that someone got knocked by the closing door. Judging by the pitch, it was Morse. Jakes grinned to himself, this was going to be an interesting day. 

*

“Good morning, Sergeant Jakes here, how may I help you?”

Jakes had spent most of the morning doing nothing. Apparently, no one really did commit any murders, thefts and burglaries for some time now. The police were more strict and Jakes supposed people didn’t want to risk getting thoroughly interrogated or thrown into jail for a couple of years.

According to the phone call he just received, there was a burglary. He looked at Thursday and shrugged. As the hours went by, he became more and more accustomed to talking to them. Their expressions were relatively understandable and judging by their current looks, they were sceptical. Well, Morse was too busy grooming himself to be bothered by the call.

It was from an elderly woman who said she had woken up to find her door unlocked and her diamond necklace missing. Easy job, Jakes thought.

“I’ll be on my way.”

They drove to her place and Jakes examined it for a bit before she interrupted him.

“It’s just you? I thought there would be a couple more officers who would help me.”

“Yes, well, I apologise if I’m not to your satisfaction but I’m trying to do my job here!” He quipped.

She huffed and turned away, walking off to some other part of the house and frankly, Jakes didn’t care. At least she was out of his way now. He couldn’t find anything of use in the house so he stood up and headed outside.

Morse and Strange were tucked away in his breast pocket and a small claw poked out to point at some muddy footsteps behind the house which led to an alleyway. Even though it was rather early, the alley wasn’t lit very well and dark shadows clouded Jakes’ vision.

Nevertheless, he went inside it. He wasn’t afraid of the dark. That was a mistake. Realisation dawned on him when a fist flew right towards his face and landed straight on his nose. The sickening crunch that ensued was followed by him swearing and gripping his bloody nose. Some arsehole had punched him! 

He staggered and slumped to the ground slowly, the wall behind him acting as a support. Grubby fingers dug into his pocket and Jakes’ slapped the hands away, only to be backhanded again.

He was lightheaded and unable to do much to stop the man from taking his wallet. Suddenly, he felt movement against his body and Morse and Strange climbed out, crawling up the man’s arms.

“What the fuck? Bloody rats! Argh!”

The sound of heavy footsteps moving away from them gave Jakes a moment to breathe. He stared at Morse and Strange for a while, trying to take in the situation.

“Did you just bite that man?”

They nodded and Jakes was a little upset he was unable to see the man’s face. Being bitten by a squirrel was not fun. He couldn’t say he knew from experience but getting clawed at by one wasn’t fun. A reminder of that was enough to put him in a sour mood.

“Now he’s gone and we won’t be able to find him again!”

The squirrel glared at him and so did the rat. Fine, he did owe them a thank you for preventing that man from stealing his wallet.

“Thanks.”

It didn’t matter if they were happy with his response. He picked up his wallet and he was pleased to see that the necklace was there on the ground as well. Case closed.

He passed the necklace to the woman and left immediately, not interested in answering her questions. He held his handkerchief up to his nose and maybe today wasn’t going to be as interesting as he had thought.

*

Morse was disappointed with how the day had gone. They had spent so much doing nothing in the station and when he had saved Jakes, he had not gotten the ‘thank you’ he expected.

Jakes was once again fast asleep in the armchair so Morse took his opportunity to speak to his friends.

“We need to prioritise finding a way to turn back into humans. Jakes is doing an adequate job at keeping the station afloat. Tomorrow, I’m going to visit Violetta and see what I can do. Thursday, you go with Jakes. DeBryn and Strange, stay here with Bright. Trewlove, you’re with me.”

“And me!” Fancy piped up.

Right. Who could forget Fancy? Morse rolled his eyes, he knew Fancy wouldn’t leave Trewlove’s side so might as well bring him along. It would be annoyed but wouldn’t harm anyone.

“Alright, Morse. But you better find a solution by the end of the week.” Thursday growled.

Morse went back to doing his own thing, which was staring at Jakes, and felt proud of him. Yes, he was staining the sofa with his bloodied nose but even when he was bruised and dishevelled, Morse thought Jakes looked gorgeous.

The silver glow of the moonlight cast a small ray onto him and Morse lay with him again. Hopefully, he gave Jakes some comfort. As for now, he needed to rest before his long and arduous journey to Violetta’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! While waiting for Chapter 4 to come out, why not check out my Nick/Chris fic? (hehe shameless self-promotion)
> 
> Love all of you!


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn’t the duration or distance to travel to Violetta’s house that annoyed Morse, but it was Fancy gawking at inane things and making everyone stop just so he could ask a question about it. Trewlove was entertaining his questions and Morse was desperate to ask how she could put up with him. But then again, Fancy did remind him of himself which may have contributed to his dislike for the younger man. 

After what seemed like forever, they finally reached her home. A quaint house in the quieter area of town and was very reminiscent of a cottage. Funny, Morse thought, he’d been here a few times already yet there was always something new that he hadn’t noticed before. A potted plant that had just begun to bloom. A small stain on the wall that was shaped like a bird. He definitely was less observant nowadays.

The three of them approached the doorbell slowly, none of them wanting to be the first one to reach the door. Surprisingly, the door opened just as they reached the first step. Violetta stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, looking exquisite as always.

Every curl in place, red lipstick perfectly painting her lips and a stylish outfit that exuded elegance and confidence. Morse had indeed forgotten how angelic she was.

“What do you want?”

“Can she understand us?” Fancy said to Trewlove and jumped when Violetta responded.

“Yes, I can understand you. Please make it quick as I have a kettle on and some scones in the oven that are just about done and I’d hate for them to burn.”

“We’d like to speak to you, Vi. About the curse,” Morse piped up.

“Oh, I’m not interested in talking to you. I’m much happier without you. How can I help the both of you? Actually, do come in. I’d rather Morse not come in.”

“Hey! Vi, that’s not nice of you.”

“Since when have you been nice to me? I shall treat you with the same amount of respect you treated me with.”

“Would it be alright if Morse came in as well?” Trewlove asked, clearly displaying respect for the other woman. Morse was thankful Trewlove asked, if not he would be sitting outside in the chill freezing to death.

Violetta rolled her eyes at Morse but gave a genuine smile at Trewlove and nodded. Morse regretted being so curt to her, she evidently loved respect.

The inside of her house was very unlike the exterior. Modern, decorated with abstract paintings and sculptures that Morse did admire. She did have good taste. The three animals climbed onto the armchair, trying not to accidentally claw at it or ruin her furniture.

Violetta disappeared into the kitchen before reappearing with a tray of scones and cups of steaming earl grey tea. Not that any of them could eat or drink it. She clasped her hands eagerly and invited Trewlove and Fancy to speak.

“Hello Miss Talenti, we understand that Morse has made a mistake and has been very unkind to you but we’d like to know if there was a way to break the spell? It would help all of us greatly.” Fancy muttered, voice timid and unsure.

Violetta smiled, “Oh, but of course! I do apologise for cursing all of you as well, I learnt some spells a while ago and I will share the counterspell since neither of you has done something wrong, unlike Morse.”

Morse huffed silently, he wanted to defend himself but it was no good arguing with her especially since they were so close to finding out the counterspell.

“Where did you learn magic?” Fancy asked, hoping to lighten some of the tension. It would be beneficial if they got her in a better mood.

She explained she had learnt it while travelling overseas and that it had helped her greatly because she could use it to her advantage, whether it be taking revenge on someone or assisting them. She then began to tell them how to reverse the spell.

“It’s rather easy if I do say so myself. All you have to do is confess your love to the person you have feelings for and if they reciprocate, the spell will be lifted. I understand that some of you may be unattached so I think I’ll lift the spell for them as well.”

Trewlove turned to face Fancy and Morse could sense the unsaid feelings between them. Goddamnit, he thought, how am I going to confess to Jakes? A bloody squirrel telling a grown man he loves him? How silly.

Violetta sipped her tea and flipped through a novel of hers, giving the two young lovers some room to confess their love.

“Shirl, I’ve liked you for quite some time now and would you like to be my girlfriend?”

Morse wanted to laugh at how awkward Fancy was but that would be unkind of him to do so. Maybe he was just jealous that they’d be able to break the spell and he couldn’t.

Trewlove then proceeded to confess her feelings for Fancy in a far more eloquent way and one moment they were animals, and the next they were people.

Violetta congratulated them and wished the two lovers all the best. Morse sighed, how was he so unlucky?

Trewlove and Fancy shared a small kiss and were too busy giggling like schoolgirls to pay much attention to Morse.

“Vi, how am I supposed to profess my love if the person can’t even understand me? I’m going to be the only one stuck as an animal and everyone else is going to be turned back. You do realise I’m sorry for what I did to you?”

Violetta didn’t want to listen to his pleas but the sorrow in his voice was evident and so powerful that she started to pity him. She didn’t usually pity anyone as she felt they deserved what they got but with Morse, she could sense something was off. She’d give him a chance.

“Fine. I’ll make it so that people can understand you. Don’t make me regret this decision, Morse.”

“Thank you, Vi. I really appreciate it.”

The smitten lovers stood up and indicated that they should be getting back to the station. They did have a lot of paperwork to catch up on. Violetta expressed her happiness and this time, Morse could tell she was being serious and it wasn’t fake niceties.

Just before Morse followed the pair, Violetta called out to him.

“Morse? Just know that all will be well. You’ve started to change and with change comes new beginnings.”

Morse nodded, he understood what she was saying. She wasn’t as horrible as he thought she was. He turned back and headed towards the door.

Violetta sat back down and sighed, hopefully, Morse would get some happiness in his life.

*

Just as Violetta had promised, everyone at the station had been turned back into people. This made it easier to work efficiently and effectively. Jakes was overjoyed, the exhaustion had started to get to him.

“Hello, Jakes.”

Jakes was almost startled by the fact that he could now understand Morse but stranger things had happened so this wasn’t as unsettling as he thought it would be.

“Hello Morse, it’s good to see you again. How come you’re still like that? I thought the spell had been broken since everyone started to turn back.”

Morse climbed onto the desk and leaned back on the lampstand and huffed, shaking his bushy tail in an annoyed way.

“I need to confess my love. And I don’t know how to.”

Jakes was panicking internally, what if Morse didn’t love him? He couldn’t stand to have his heart broken again. It was bad enough that he still thought of Hope even though he didn’t want to. Painful memories resurfaced every time he thought of her.

“Well, you could just tell her. Or send her something nice if you know her address,” he suggested.

Morse appeared to be chewing his lip, if squirrels could do that, and contemplated his suggestion.

“Yes. Yes, that seems like a suggestion. Thank you, Peter, I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Jakes gave him a weak smile, hoping his sadness wasn’t so obvious to Morse. It was ridiculous of him to think that the other man would reciprocate his feelings. They hadn’t seen each other for ages and even before he left, they weren’t exactly on good terms. Morse was almost angry at him for leaving but Jakes couldn’t be sure about that. They had never discussed how they felt about his departure.

But there was that moment before Morse went to prison… when they almost kissed because Jakes was so drunk. 

*

_Everyone at the station was celebrating Morse’s return and that celebration was drinks paid by Thursday at the local pub downtown. Jakes was going to take advantage of this as he hadn’t had the opportunity to drink his worries away yet._

_He had mixed feelings about Morse’s return. He was glad that the redheaded man was out of prison but he was afraid that they would return and make both their lives miserable again. He didn’t want to think about them or what they would do to Morse. What had they already done to Morse?_

_He hoped it wasn’t so horrible in prison, he wouldn’t know. He hadn’t been there before._

_As the hours passed, the number of empty glasses increased and the drunker Jakes got. It was getting very late and he only stopped when Morse gently pulled him away from the bar and announced their leave._

_Jakes couldn’t understand why Morse wanted to take him home, he was having a brilliant time._

_“Morse, don’t. I want to have another glass,” Jakes slurred, clinging onto Morse’s arm as he struggled to keep his balance._

_“No, Jakes, we have to get you home before you get even more ill. You’re going to have a nasty hangover and it’ll only get worse if you drink more.”_

_Jakes was so inebriated he could barely see two metres in front of him. Morse was his only support, and if it wasn’t for him, he’d be lying on the ground._

_Unsurprisingly, he tripped over his own feet and dragged Morse down with him. It was a weird fall because both of them were struggling to grab hold of the other for support. It didn’t work out so they both landed on the ground facing each other, with Morse on top._

_Their faces were centimetres apart and Jakes could feel Morse’s warm breath on his face. The pair stared at each other for a moment and Jakes swore that Morse leaned closer to him and their lips were so close._

_He could feel the other man’s lips on his own and just as they were about to kiss, a loud voice startled the pair of them._

_“Are the two of you alright?”_

_It was just a passerby concerned for their safety._

_“Yes, we are. He just tripped and I fell with him. Thanks.”_

_Morse cleared his throat and helped Jakes up. They didn’t speak to the other for the rest of the night._

*

Jakes could only keep his fingers crossed. He watched as Morse scurried away and it was oddly adorable.

He rubbed his eyes to stay awake and went back to doing his work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for some clarification, 'they' in the flashback refers to Wintergreen, Landesman and Deare (or those involved in the Blenheim Vale incident) and Jakes won't mention them by name due to his fear of them.
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me this whole time, I appreciate everyone's lovely comments.


	5. Chapter 5

Since every member of the station had been turned back except for Morse, things were running more smoothly. Everyone did their part to chip in, completing their light duties in a flash. Jakes was bored, there wasn’t much he could do. Because everyone had something to do, he was left to babysit Morse and keep him out of trouble which didn’t seem like that bad. It was nice spending time with him.

They’d been sitting at Jakes’ desk for most of the day, idly chatting as Jakes’ doodled on scraps of paper. Morse was more frisky and moody now, constantly lamenting about how he might not have the guts to confess and he had no idea how to send a gift to that person.

“They’ll know it’s from me and what if they don’t like me back? Then I’ll be stuck in this silly body forever!”

“Well, no one asked you to be impolite to that woman,” Jakes muttered, breaking out in laughter when Morse growled at him. _Growled_. It was very amusing.

“I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings! Anyway, you’ve been in plenty of relationships, why don’t you tell me what are your tricks? The great womaniser Peter Jakes,” he said mockingly.

“Haha, very funny. Now shut up before I toss you into a bin or leave you to fend for yourself in the woods.”

That kept Morse quiet. He knew it was a little mean threatening him, especially when he had the upper hand but Morse wouldn’t take it personally. He wished Morse wouldn’t call him a womaniser though, it would be terribly easier if he could just say he was bisexual.

“Well, when Hope and I were in America, I used to buy her little gifts every so often. Just small things, nothing too extravagant, like chocolates or sweets and a few necklaces once in a while. I made her favourite meals, did the activities she liked and,” He paused, taking in a deep breath. Thinking of her made him feel wistful and melancholic. He did care for her and he missed his naive love for her. His blindness and oblivion.

Morse watched him, transfixed on the man’s expression which had started off as reminiscent and filled with sad happiness but now, his face had contorted into one of anger and disappointment.

“And she didn’t love me back. I suppose I’m destined to be alone forever. I came back because I thought I could get my old job back but there seems to be no need for that, you have cleaned up the streets pretty darn well.”

“But she must have loved you at some point?” Morse asked, looking for more answers. “She did ask you to travel there with her. And the baby?”

Jakes scoffed, rolling his eyes in annoyance but it was not an annoyance that was directed towards Morse, more towards Hope. He crossed his arms, stiffening in his chair as he propped his feet up on the desk.

“No, she just wanted money. There was no baby. Frankly, I was doubting that she was pregnant from the beginning because I never recalled having sex with her. I figured I must have been punch drunk and couldn’t remember anything.”

Morse was frozen in shock. Had she taken advantage of Jakes while he was inebriated? He began to hate that woman more and more with each minute.

“Anyway, call it dubious consent or whatever you want, we did it and that’s that.”

Jakes sounded so bitter and regretful and Morse wished he could make him feel better but since he had zero experience in this area, all he could do was sit and listen. 

Neither of them had realised it had gotten so late and Thursday came into the room, giving a small scare to both Jakes and Morse since they weren’t expecting him.

“Ah, Jakes, I just wanted to say thank you for running the station while we were incapable of doing so. You did a good job.”

As Jakes thanked Thursday, Morse leaned back on what he thought was a sturdy object but instead, it was a mug of tea which went crashing to the floor along with the squirrel. Cold tea puddled on the ground, soaking Morse who angrily flicked his tail.

Both Jakes and Thursday were staring at him awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Jakes got up and shook Thursday’s hand, “I’ll clean the mess he made. You can head back home now, don’t worry about us.”

Thursday expressed his thanks once more, shaking his head about Morse’s predicament before leaving them alone. Jakes got onto his knees to start wiping the tea, cursing Morse for his carelessness and stupidity.

“I’m a squirrel, you can’t blame me!” Morse whined.

“I can blame you. You spilt the tea.”

Morse watched as Jakes moved, admiring how thorough he was. His pretty aegean eyes and long lashes were mesmerising, moving with a delicate ferocity. He got to his feet, shaking the dust off his pants.

“Shall we head back home?” Morse suggested. Everyone else had gone back and it seemed alright if they left now, even if it was an earlier time than usual.

“Hm. Alright.”

Jakes had begun to pack his belongings when the station door burst open, slamming against the wall with an echoing crash as someone’s long strides clicked against the floor. Perhaps it was Thursday, who might have forgotten something, or Trewlove, who could have wanted to drop something off. It was someone Morse had not seen in a very long time. Someone he had hoped not to see ever again. Hope.

The blonde woman stood at the entrance of their office door, staring at Jakes with a predatory gleam in her eye. Perfectly coiffed hair, fitting dress and a sickeningly sweet perfume spoke of how shallow and _basic_ she was. An ordinary woman with no special talents except being a parasite.

“Hi, Peter,” She giggled, twirling her hair around her finger.

Jakes’ face was a mixture of horror, surprise, disgust and curiosity and he awkwardly approached her, sticking out his hand for a formal handshake. She declined and extended her arms out for a hug but he declined, moving backwards and away from her.

“Why did you come here, Hope?” His voice was monotonous, with a tinge of despair in it. Both of them knew that it wasn’t a good thing that she was here.

“Hi, honey. I missed you! I came to visit because well, I want you back.”

She hadn’t noticed Morse in the corner of the desk and he was perfectly content in her blindness. He’d have an opportunity to listen in on their conversation.

“Hope, you know that’s not going to work. You made your decisions and I made mine, can’t you respect that?”

“I didn’t mean to do that to you! I love you and I want you back. I miss your gifts and loving touches and how you adored me every day. Come back to me, Peter.”

She had this pathetic pout on her face, pink lips twisted into what was supposed to be pitiful but ended up looking faker than her pleas.

“If you loved me, you wouldn’t have cheated on me!” Jakes roared, finally losing his temper. Weeks of pent-up resentment had taken its toll on him and he had no tolerance for any of this nonsense.

Hope was unperturbed by his actions and casually lit a cigarette, blowing smoke towards him.

“I loved you and I always will. You’ll come running to me once you realise that no one loves you as much I do. I’m the only one here who cares about you! Frankly, I was going to tell you this later but I’m ill.”

“How do I know you’re not faking it? Like the pregnancy?”

She rolled her eyes, “Look, it’s hard to explain but-”

He cut her off sharply, “No. Just leave.”

She sauntered over to the desk and left a slip of paper with presumably her number on it and walked away without another word. What a cold-hearted woman. Had she not taken enough from Jakes already?

Morse felt that he needed to confess to Jakes that he loved him! To prove Hope wrong and to ensure that he doesn’t go back into that toxic relationship with that slimy toad of a woman. Jakes was gripping the edge of the table, looking down at the piece of paper with his tawny brown locks falling over his eyes.

Jakes picked up Morse and hurried over to the Jaguar, speeding to Morse’s apartment without a care of the traffic rules. Morse’s little heart was racing as he held onto the seat, fearful he would be flung into the window.

The moment they got home, Jakes stormed into the living room and picked up a bottle of smooth, amber whiskey off the decanter and took a large swig, swallowing at least a quarter of the bottle before stopping to take a breath.

“Jakes! Don’t do that!”

“Morse, shut up. You can’t tell me what to do with my life. You know what, I’m going to the pub.”

Morse was awfully worried for him. If Jakes tried to leave the house now, he’d be punch drunk and vulnerable. Who knew who’d take his money and run? Or even kill him. He had to stop Jakes from leaving

In a moment of desperation, Morse cried out, “I’m in love with you, Peter! I love you.”

Jakes froze, dropping the bottle of whiskey that began to pour out onto the carpet, a dark stain seeping into it. Judging by the look on his face, Jakes was not too happy about this confession.

“What?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope's back to stir up some trouble! While waiting for the next chapter, user EthanStar66 has written a fic based on this one, with a different interpretation as to how Morse confesses! It's brilliant and definitely deserves a read.
> 
> Thank you <3 see you all in the next update xx

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28181442) by [EthanStar66](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EthanStar66/pseuds/EthanStar66)




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